Spirited debate on Igloo's future
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Lisa Haabestad, of the East End, holds up one of several signs in support of saving the Civic Arena. -
Pittsburgh Penguins President David Morehouse turns to look at the audience during his testimony in which he said he favors demolishing the Civic Arena. -
Allegheny County Labor Council President Jack Shea, center, said demolishing and redeveloping the Civic Arena site would create jobs.
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To some, it is an icon worth saving, on par with the Gateway Arch in St. Louis or the Space Needle in Seattle. To others, it is an eyesore standing in the way of progress.
For more than two hours Monday, Penguins, preservationists, CEOs, labor officials, Hill District leaders and others waged a pitched battle over the future of the Civic Arena. But in the end, no clear victor emerged.
In all, the 49 people who testified before the city-Allegheny County Sports & Exhibition Authority seemed to be evenly divided over whether the silver domed landmark should get a makeover or a death sentence.
For the most part, the debate followed familiar ground, with those seeking to save the old building campaigning for more time to put together a feasible reuse plan, while those in favor of demolition saw little value in prolonging the arena's life.
Among those leading the charge to save the 49-year-old structure was state Sen. Jim Ferlo, who was arrested in 1991 trying to stop the demolition of the Syria Mosque in Oakland. He called on the SEA, which owns the arena, to declare a "two-year cooling period" to allow for the development of alternative uses.
"What an embarrassing contradiction for city and county leaders to tout our green and sustainable initiatives, projecting new regional initiatives or sustainability principles and projects, yet [they] are so quick to implement the self-serving and demolition agenda of the Penguins organization," he said.
Peter Floyd, a project management consultant who lives in Sewickley, said he was "astonished and appalled" that demolition was even an option.
Replacing what he described as a "national historic facility" with a "boring rectangular street grid with generic buildings," an apparent reference to the Penguins' redevelopment plans, "is just plain nuts."
"Do you think the leaders of St. Louis would even consider the idea of demolishing the Gateway Arch? Or would Seattle leaders discuss replacing the Space Needle with offices and shops? I think not," he said.
Some accused the SEA of rushing through a state process designed to consider alternatives to demolition, even though the state's Bureau for Historic Preservation has stated that the agency has met the consultation requirements of the state History Code.
First Published August 24, 2010 12:00 am
